Snow Day
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: What's a father to do in the midst of a winter storm? Takes place six weeks after Han's speeder accident in Something of a Rough Start. Chapter 9 is up and completes this story. Thanks for reading :)
1. Chapter 1

SNOW DAY

Coruscant was famous for its 'wintry mix,' meaning that for three months of the year, the western part of the planet, where most of the population was, driving, whether ground or airborne, was on the order of a Drednoughts versus Glop Monsters smashball game - chaotic, violent and dangerous.

Han was still recovering from the head on collision by an errant Rodian female who seemed to have no idea what she'd done wrong. He had been very tired when he'd first arrived home from the medcenter, but six weeks had passed, and he was rapidly growing bored. The kids had gone back to school a few days after the end of Winter Fete and Leia had gone back to work. He'd seen every smashball tournament that the holos could provide and played more holosabacc than one person should be allowed. The All-World games took two weeks but they were long over, and most of them had been less than stimulating. He'd even watched the Droid Gladiator Games and put down a few bets. The only thing left was the Mini Speeder Go Cart Games, which were far less exciting than they sounded.

Pit fighting had been outlawed as had the Demolition Games, which was, to Han's mind, one of the few worthwhile things the Hutts had ever brought to the galaxy. Han had resorted at times to playing the kids' 'Grand Theft Star Ship' games. He discovered they were only fun when playing with his kids or Luke, who to his mind was still 'the kid,' despite being five minutes older than Leia. Luke, Mara and Ben had departed the day after Winter Fete had ended and were back on Yavin 4.

He had a class of new flight trainees coming in when summer started, but that was another six weeks away, and doing repairs to the _Falcon_ was something he'd tried the previous week and ended up in so much pain that he nearly had to crawl to get to his speeder. Jaina and Anakin offered to do the repairs but Han was not about to let a ten and eleven year old start tinkering sans supervision. He did so on weekends, but during the week, school reigned supreme. And there was a limit to his kids' mechanical skills at this point in their lives. And Chewie was working on some of the more complex problems, which made Han even edgier; Chewie was second only to Han himself in his knowledge of the idiosyncracies of the _Falcon, _but the fact was that Han was always a little insecure with regards to his ship.

To make matters worse, Leia was off on Mamendin for a conference on forming a galaxy wide health plan. Many planets on the Core Worlds had adopted it, but it was far from universal, and some worlds balked as their tax base was insufficient. Others simply believed that if you were ill and you died, well, that's the way it went. It had to include every species, and there were medics now coming through the system who had expertise in that area, but it was slow going. The inhabitants objecting the most strenuously tended to be on the Outer Rim. She'd left three days prior and wasn't due back for another four, assuming some sort of agreement was reached. She promised she'd be home at the designated time but might have to return later.

Han was even more lonely for her than usual. For one thing, sex was one of the few things he could indulge in (albeit more carefully than usual). And he missed being able to talk to her in the evening, after the kids were in bed, just being in her company.

His comm went off. He was hoping it was Leia. Instead, there was a message from Jarik's daycare, saying that with the coming storm, all children needed to be picked up by 1400. Chewie had been doing the drop off and pick up, but Han figured he could manage a two year old by himself.

"Okay, here goes," Han said to Marsune, one of the pittins who'd been sleeping on him. Han would never admit to it, but he liked the pittins, despite their limited entertainment value. They did make comforting sounds and were warm on a cold day, which today was.

"You know," Han said to Marsune, "I'd like to get up one day, preferably soon, without looking like I'm 90 years old."

Marsune gave Han a look of supreme annoyance at being moved and then one of utter boredom as he settled back into his early afternoon nap. Han grabbed his parka, gloves and scarf and headed out, very slowly, towards the lift that would take him from the 83rd floor to the speeder parking area underground.

The reason for the comm became obvious once he exited the portal; not only was there heavy freezing rain and wind, but thick, white flakes of snow, falling rapidly to the ground. The problem with vehicles on the ground was sliding; the ones for airborne speeders was visibility. Han could barely see what was in front of him.

"There'd better be no idiots going the wrong way," he growled as he inched his way towards Jarik's day care facility. He'd been worried his piloting skills had deteriorated, but was relieved to learn that his instincts were still good. He'd made it the way there with no damage to himself or his vehicle.

He was about to enter the security code when his comm pinged again. It was the middle school where the older kids attended, indicating that they, too, had to be retrieved by 1400 hours. Well, Han told himself, I'm out here already.

Jarik was napping when Han arrived at the two year olds room. "How do you get him to do that?" Han asked one of the teachers.

"Oh, we keep them on a schedule."

"Yep, that'd be our problem." He went over to the small cot and brushed his toddler son's brown hair. "Hey buddy, time to ditch this place." Han bent down to pick him up, put the little boy's head on his shoulder, and felt as if someone had just stabbed him. "Uh, ma'am?" Han said to the teacher. "I think I need a little help here."

The teacher, Jordin, went to retrieve Jarik, but Han held him fast. "Actually," Han said, feeling quite embarrassed, "I need you to help me get up."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Jordin said to him, taking his free hand. "Let me get Jarik's things." She returned a few moments later with Jarik's lunch bucket, sippy cup, jacket, mittens, beanie and scarf, and helped Han put them on the little boy, who so far hadn't so much as blinked. Han lugged him to the speeder, strapped him in, and slowly made his way towards the middle school. Every parent on Coruscant in the Capital City was out in force, and it taxed Han's patience.

"Give me wide open space any day of the week," Han muttered to Jarik, who continued to nap. "This is ridiculous." His accident had made him, if anything, more impatient with the local traffic. Outside the middle school it was a madhouse.

Han comm'd Jaina, Jacen and Anakin to let them know he was waiting and that they needed to make a break for it. He couldn't believe how much his joints were aching already. The medic had told him, repeatedly, that the enzymes needed at least three months to regenerate the damaged tissues. He began to understand what they were talking about.

The snow was now falling in thick clumps, further impairing visibility.

"Can we get ice dots?" Jacen whined slightly.

"The only place we're going right now is home. And we'll be lucky to get there in any reasonable amount of time."

"If we get a snow day tomorrow, we could go ice boarding!" Jaina said to her father.

"Uh, you guys threaten to turn me into your mom and then you think I'm gonna take you ice boarding?"

"If you take us, we won't say a word," Anakin promised.

"Snow around here usually lets up fast," Han said to them.

"Yeah, but look at it!" Jacen said. "Jarik, my man, does that look like fun stuff to you?" Jarik laughed.

"I don't think it's going to last," Han prevailed stubbornly.

"Dad, you ever gone ice boarding?" Jacen asked.

"No, can't say that I have."

"How about Mom?"

"She used to, when she was a kid."

"Mom was never a kid. She was born old," Jaina grumbled.

"I'll be sure and pass that on to her," Han said, glaring at her.

"Then I'll tell her you were driving," Jaina retorted.

Han impatiently text comm'd the kids again. "Get your butts out here soon or you're walking home." At that moment, Anakin jumped into the speeder, throwing his backpack to the floor.

"Hey Dad. I thought Uncle Chewie was coming to get us."

"I was home when the message came. So I thought I'd try driving again."

"Mom says you're not supposed to."

"Is that a fact?"

"She's gonna get mad at you."

"So what else is new?" Jaina and Jacen arrived, their backpacks thudding like an asteroid hit. "I was about to make you guys walk home."

"You know Mom said you're supposed to let Uncle Chewie pick us up," Jaina reproached him.

"Yeah, well, Uncle Chewie's out at the hangar and if he has half a brain, of which there are moments when I question that, he'll stay there."

Jarik awoke with a start and started to whimper.

"Hey, li'l dude, take it easy," Jacen said, rubbing his baby brother's tiny hand. Jacen was Jarik's favorite, and Jacen was able to comfort him and interpret his requests better than his parents at times. Now Jarik was smiling - and wide awake, as his three ring circus was all there.

"Dad, we're like not moving," Anakin said to Han.

"Thanks for pointing that out. In case you haven't noticed, you can barely see in front of you."

"Okay, well, there is that," Jaina concurred. "Are you okay, Daddy?"

Han looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "I'm fine. I can't come and pick my kids up when they're let out of school early?"

"Mom said not to," Jacen reminded him.

"Okay, you can all walk. Except Jarik, because he's too young to have that much of a mouth on him. Yet. I'm sure you'll all contribute to corrupting him."

"Like you did for us," Jaina reminded him.

How did I get so many smartasses for kids, Han muttered to himself as he inched the speeder along.


	2. Chapter 2

SNOW DAY

Chapter 2

On the surface, it appeared that the evening was no different than any others when Leia was out of town. Chewie and Han nagged about homework and showers, Han made dinner, and the kids argued amongst themselves over strategy over 'Grand Theft Star Destroyer,' which was the newest version of the game. Then they argued over who was going to go first. The older three found a holo that they'd liked when they were younger for Jarik, who was being held by Jacen. The holo had been playing for but a few minutes when a public service announcement came on.

"Due to the unusually difficult and dangerous weather situation we are facing in the Capital City, schools will be closed, including non private universities. Only essential government employees will be allowed into work. All offices and banks will be closed. All ground and airborne travel should be avoided for anything other than the most dire emergencies. Medcenters will be open but personnel will be short and waits may be long. We will update as things move forward." The broadcast ended and with it, Jaina, Jacen and Anakin cheered.

"We got a snow day!" Anakin said excitedly.

"Yay!" Jacen said. "Hey little buddy, know what a snow day is?" he said as he cuddled the little one. "It's where you don't have to go to school."

"Which is awesome!" Jaina said happily.

"So Dad, can we go to Dandoliri Hills?" Anakin asked, his enthusiasm obvious.

"Not now we're not!" Han told him. The truth was, all he wanted was for the kids to get in bed so he could retreat to his and Leia's bedroom where he could video comm with her. Chewie would normally head to his apartment on the ninth floor; it was a floor for species that tended to be much taller than most humans and therefore provided a comfortable living space.

And then, sleep sounded wonderful.

"We were talking about tomorrow!" Jaina informed Han.

"Jaina, in case you don't remember, it's literally whiteout conditions out there!"

"But that's what's so great! We can get out of the city! We wanna go ice boarding and sledding! Right, guys?"

"Yes, we do!" Anakin and Jacen chimed in. Jarik was falling asleep in Jacen's arms; he'd adapted to being able to sleep through any level of noise.

"Besides, if you don't take us, we're gonna tell Mom that you drove us home in the snow," Jaina said, batting her eyes at her father, trying to be adorable and menacing at the same time.

"And Uncle Chewie said he'd go with us!" Anakin added.

"Chewie! Is this true?"

Chewie laughed. {I'll drive.}

"I don't think so. All right. Here's the deal: I take you there and you don't tell your mom I'm driving. Got it?"

"Yeah!" The three older kids agreed.

"We're leaving early, so get yourselves to bed. Like right now. It takes an hour and a half in good conditions to get there, so it'll probably take twice as long. So no more heckling tonight, and be ready to go when I am."

The three trudged off to bed, and Han carried a sleeping Jarik into his crib. By now, he was aching and exhausted. He went back to the living room and joined Chewie.

{You look like you overdid it}, Chewie commented sourly. {I would have gotten the kids}.

"Sorry, but I'm starting to get stir crazy," Han responded. "You may have noticed that I'm not getting out much."

{You're not supposed to get out much. Want to watch smashball}?

"Drednoughts aren't even playing tonight. I think I'm gonna crash out. You staying over or heading downstairs?"

{I'll stay. Just in case you need help getting out of bed tomorrow}. Chewie was taunting him now.

"You're all heart, fuzzball. G'night."

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Han was averse to pain meds; they made him feel loggy, but he was considering taking one after he'd had a chance to talk to Leia.

He grabbed a pair of warm pajama pants and a thermal shirt. Despite the fact that the apartment was warm, their bed was close enough to a window that was large and let in a great deal of light but in the darkness of winter some cold air always sneaked in. It wasn't welcome. He pulled the comforter over him and picked up his comm. He hoped Leia was back from whatever official dinner she likely had to attend.

To his happiness, she picked up immediately. "Hey there, Flyboy. I was just about to call you."

"Great minds think alike." Han smiled at her. "You look worn out. Going that badly?"

"No, worse." She sounded discouraged. "I've been watching the blizzard on the holos. It looks ugly. I guess the kids are going to be keeping you company tomorrow."

"Oh, will they ever."

"Chewie got them home okay?"

"Uh, oh, yeah, yeah, he did. They're all asleep now."

"Well, stay off the roads and airspaces."

"No worries." Han hated lying to her, but if he was to reveal the plans for the following day, she'd read him the riot act. Loudly, at that.

"You look exhausted, my lover."

"Amazing, considering I do damn near nothing."

"That's what you're supposed to be doing."

"I'm tired of moving around like I'm 90 years old. I've gotta start moving around more."

"You worked on the _Falcon_ and couldn't move for three days."

"That was two weeks ago."

"Han, you know what you have to do. I know that right now the only thing you can control is the holoremote - "

"And the kids swipe it from me half the time - "

"- but you will get better, and you'll be yourself in no time." Leia yawned.

"Another boring dinner?"

"Actually, we were on our own for dinner tonight, so I went to my room and ordered in. Of course, we finished so late that trying to get a meal in restaurant eaten before bedtime was looking very unlikely, and all we did today was fight. This is getting old in a hurry."

"Can't wait for you to get home, sweetheart."

"I can't wait for me to get home, either. I love you."

"I know."

"Now get some rest."

"Yes, ma'am."


	3. Chapter 3

SNOW DAY

Chapter 3

The snow came thick and fast, but the airspace and streets were devoid of traffic, and Han eased into it. Hazardous driving was much more fun if one wasn't contending with idiots, and for now, it appeared that even they'd been deterred by the snow.

{I don't think Coruscant has ever been this way since I've known it}, Chewie commented.

"I don't think Coruscant's been this way since it was Coruscant," Han remarked.

The four passengers were quiet; Han figured it would take longer, and he'd woken them up while they were still comatose. They'd eagerly gotten ready, but now, all four were asleep.

{I don't think your kids have ever been this quiet}.

"If they had, I'd have remembered it."

As they got beyond the city limits, the snow was still falling, but the landscaped changed to the foothills, covered in white, as they made way towards the mountains.

"Sort of reminds me of Hoth."

{I hated that place}.

"Let's just say I don't remember it fondly."

{It's prettier here}, Chewie said.

"You need to get out more."

{I'm always working. With you}.

"Oh, I'm a real tough boss."

{Actually, sometimes you're a real jerk}.

"Wow! I think you're the first one to ever tell me that!"

Jaina stirred in the rear seat that she shared with Jacen. Anakin and Jarik were in the center seat. "Daddy, did you bring anything to eat?"

"You had cereal," Han reminded her.

"But I'm still hungry."

"We'll get something at the lodge."

"How long till we get there?"

"Another hour, maybe."

Jaina yawned and closed her eyes again, settling back into her seat.

{Ani always asks, are we there yet}?

"Which is one of the reasons I'm glad he's asleep."

{Remember, you're supposed to stay at the lodge}.

"Who are you, my mother?"

{Does Leia know you're taking the kids}?

"We didn't actually have time to discuss it."

{She's going to kill you if she finds out you drove out to the mountains}.

"Sometimes apology is better than permission."

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"You drove out here from Coruscant?" The person at the rental desk said to the Solos and Chewie. "You're crazier than I am."

"Our dad is," Jaina told them, then looked at her father and smiled.

"It's hereditary. I got it from my kids," Han explained.

"Dad says he gets all his grey hair from us," Anakin said teasingly.

"We need three iceboards. And instructions," Han informed the rental agent. "They've never gone iceboarding."

"How about sleds?"

"We've got our own," Anakin explained, holding one of them up. "And we know how to make 'em real slippery."

"Apparently the secret ingredient is cooking oil," Han remarked.

"And Mom's hair conditioner," Jaina added.

"She's not gonna be happy about that," Han warned.

"She's not gonna be happy you drove us," Jacen reminded him, handing Jarik to Han.

"So think about that before you tell on us," Jaina said, smirking.

"Can I take Jarik sledding?" Jacen asked.

"I think the little guy's gonna hang here with dear old dad," Han said, taking Jarik from Jacen. Jarik was not pleased. He scrunched up his little face and began wailing loudly.

"See? He wants to go," Jacen said.

{I'll make sure they don't kill him}, Chewie promised. Han reluctantly handed him back to Jacen.

"So Dad, c'mon and watch us," Anakin urged Han.

"Maybe later," Han said. The drive had been easier and calmer, but he could feel his injuries balking.

"No, how about maybe now?" Jaina insisted.

Once upon a time, Han mused, he was independent. No one told him what to do or when to do it without his consent. He was the master of his fate. He was the guy who would never be tied to anyone or anything.

And now, here he was, four kids in tow, taking them for a snow day.

He didn't miss that other guy.


	4. Chapter 4

SNOW DAY

Chapter 4

The lounge area was relatively uncrowded, and Han, to his delight, discovered they had reclining chairs and immediately claimed one. He was unhappy at not being able to join the kids and Chewie. He'd always wanted to try iceboarding and had never had the opportunity. Now he was on the injured list and not at all pleased about it.

Han decided that the first opportunity he had to try it out, he would.

He'd gotten much better at making friends over the years and began chatting up another guy there who'd brought his teenaged kids.

"Used to go with 'em all the time, but got a knee injury a few years back. Never quite been the same."

"I'd rather be out with my kids but I was slammed head on in my speeder not that long ago. Trying to knit the old bones back together."

"Tell me about it."

"How old are your kids?"

"Eleven, ten, and two. Eleven year old twins."

"Mine are fifteen and thirteen, two sons, eating me out of house and home."

"Yeah, my kids eat like starving Wookiees."

"Hoping that a few more sentients show up. Usually we get a sabacc game going. You play?"

"Oh yeah." The idea of a sabacc game always interested Han. "You have any problems getting here?"

"Nah, we're in the foothills. You?"

"Capital city."

"I like it out here. I teach and like living where it's quiet."

"My wife and I are urban animals. What can I say?"

"Well, most of the sentients I know love iceboarding, and a day like this, they'll be here soon. Your wife with the kids?"

"My wife's out of town. Did you see the Wookiee that came in with us? My oldest and closest friend, and the kids love him. He's pretty bad about letting them get away with stuff. My wife and I always get to be the hardasses."

A few more sentients, including another Wookiee, made their way to the lounge.

"Hey, Frak, how's it going?" Everyone seemed to know the person Han was talking to.

"Fine, ready for some sabacc. BTW, this is Han."

Hand and paw shakes went all around, and Frak went to get the cards from the counter agent. A dealer was chosen, and the game began.

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Han was winning nicely.

"You think you'd played before," the Wookiee player said, laughing.

"A time or two, yeah." Han scooped up the chips from the hand just played.

"You're killing us!" Frak said. "I fold."

"Same."

"Well, we could play another round and you can try to win it back," Han said, grinning wickedly.

"Sure, why not? I've got nothing to lose but my shirt," one of the players said, and everyone laughed. A new dealer was chosen and the game commenced.

"So Han, what do you do?" One of the female sentients asked him.

"I own a shipping company, train pilots. I like working for myself except that the boss is a complete dick." Several other players were all self employed and laughed on the basis of their similar experiences.

"What does your wife do?"

"She's in government."

"In what office?"

"Actually, she's the minister of state."

"Seriously? Minister Solo?"

"She is, and she's mine, guys, so be jealous on your own time."

"She's quite lovely," a female player commented.

"Yes, the most beautiful woman in the galaxy." Han had to smile. "So, let's play again, and maybe, just maybe, some of you might get your investment back."


	5. Chapter 5

SNOW DAY

Chapter 5

Chewie was the first to return from the slopes with little Jarik. The toddler was clearly worn out and Han offered to take him, but Chewie got him to sleep with very little effort.

Han had actually enjoyed the sabacc game, and as time went by, more players arrived, and some of them were dead serious players, the type that gave Han a run for his money. Han always enjoyed a good challenge, and was enjoying himself tremendously, at least until he was rudely interrupted.

Anakin had fallen and the patrol felt he should return to have the rather large gash in his arm irrigated and have steriskin applied to it. The patroler advised Anakin not to return to the slopes, which did not please Anakin in the least.

Han opted out of the hand and took his middle son to the first aid station. Anakin's jacket was torn on the arm where he'd gashed himself.

"How'd it happen?" Han asked him.

"I got stuck on a tree branch! And just when I was getting off my butt like I did all day!"

It was, Han could tell, a pretty nasty gash. Sutures weren't necessary, but the cut could become infected fairly easily. The first aid attendant was kindly but informed Anakin that he was done iceboarding today, that he should wait a week, and then try it again. This displeased Anakin stomped off but Han caught up to him.

"All right, I think we can bring Jaina and Jacen in. I'm gonna cash out at the table and tell 'em we're leaving."

This did not particularly placate Anakin, who continued to sulk.

"Jaina was gonna try the double black diamond," Anakin told Han.

"She was what?" Han asked.

One of his table companions spoke up. "That's where you iceboard if you're highly skilled or have a death wish or both."

"As this is the first time she's ever iceboarded, I'd say the latter was more likely." He grabbed his parka and headed out. Suddenly, an ice scooter with sirens blaring raced down the hill.

"What's going on?" Han asked a patroller.

"Looks like we have a beginner pretending to be a pro, and she's unconscious."

"How old? What did she look like?"

"Not sure. We'll find out in a moment." His comm went off. "Looks like a preteen girl, dark hair, human."

Han had the worst sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew without even being Force sensitive that the victim in question was his only daughter.

"I need to get to her," Han said.

"Whoa there! They're bringing her up right now."

Please don't let it be Jaina, Han prayed.

But it was. She was in a litter. Han raced over to her.

"Jaina, honey, can you hear me?"

Jacen had come up from the blue square slope, one more appropriately suited to his lack of experience. He saw Jaina and the expression on his face was one of horror.

Jaina was conscious, but not exactly oriented. "Where's my dad?" she moaned.

"Right here, baby girl. Jacen, go inside with Chewie and Anakin. Tell him to take you guys home."

"How're you gonna get home?" Jacen asked.

"We'll figure that out later."

"I wanna go with you and Jaina."

"Jacen, please, go!"

"But she's my twin!"

"She needs medical attention. Now go look after your brothers and have Chewie take you home."

Jacen was clearly unhappy but stomped back to the lodge. Han followed along with his daughter.

"You'll be all right, sweetie," he said to Jaina, holding her hand.

"Keep talking to her," the rescue patrol instructed Han. "And get her to talk to you."

"Jaina, honey, can you hear me?" Han asked, trying to stay calm.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

Jaina opened her eyes. "You're gonna be in so much trouble."

Han realized that he was going to have to explain all of this to Leia.

He was, in his parlance, totally screwed.


	6. Chapter 6

SNOW DAY

Chapter 6

The med droids had taken Jaina to be assessed and told Han they'd call him shortly.

In the meantime, Han had a call to make, and it was not one he was looking forward to. The best he could do was a small measure of damage control.

He comm'd her and she picked up. There was a great deal of muffled noise behind her; no doubt it was one of those diplomatic cocktail receptions that Han loathed.

"Hey, Flyboy," she said cheerfully. "What's going on?"

"Well...quite a lot, actually."

"Something's wrong."

"Uh, yeah, there is."

"Tell me what it is so I can decide whether to murder you or not."

Could go either way, Han thought to himself, and he was unsure as to which would be worse.

"Kids had a snow day today."

"I know."

"Well, they wanted to head up into the mountains to go sledding and iceboarding."

"Please tell me you didn't cave in."

"Yeah, actually, I did."

Leia was silent.

"Uh, sweetheart? Are you still there?"

"I am. You know you're supposed to be resting."

"I'm fine. Anakin got a cut but it's fine. I'm with Jaina, who decided to attempt a double black diamond hill."

Leia was furious. She wasn't yelling, but there was pure cold fury in her voice. "And who was keeping an eye on them?"

"Chewie."

"And what were you doing?"

"Uh, playing sabacc."

"So where was Chewie?"

"He'd brought Jarik inside for a nap. There were a lot of patrols on hand."

"Let me get this straight. You put Chewie in charge while you played cards and then Chewie left them alone."

"Only for a short time."

"So where are you now?"

"At the medcenter. Jaina hit her head and might have a concussion."

Han had seen Leia angry plenty of times, but this might, he thought miserably, set a new record.

"I can't believe this! You go out to the mountains when you're supposed to be taking it easy - "

"Playing sabacc is taking it easy!"

"-and entrust our older three to make intelligent decisions? They're not stupid kids, but they are kids and need more supervision in that sort of situation!"

"Our kids are pretty athletic. Well, Jaina and Anakin are."

"And where was Jacen?"

"He stuck to the hills for beginners."

"How much do you want to bet that he dared her? He does it, and she can't resist seeking a thrill! You know this about her!"

"Leia, I'm sorry - "

"I'm coming home tomorrow."

"I thought you had two more days - "

"Not now I don't! If you can't be responsible for your own kids, then someone better be!"

Han was about to say more but Leia had ended the comm. Han was not going to call her back immediately. That was buying more trouble than he could cover.

He just hoped their daughter was going to be all right.

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The medic came to talk to Han after what seemed to be an eternity.

"Mr. Solo?"

"How is she?"

"She has a mild concussion. We're going to keep her overnight for observation. Usually this sort of thing doesn't create any permanent problems. She's not nauseous and she's oriented and alert. And she wants to see you."

"I wanna see her."

"Come with me."

Han was led into one of the observation suites. Jaina looked very small amidst the equipment and the large bed.

"Hey sweetie," Han said softly to her.

"Hi Daddy."

"How're you feeling?"

"My head hurts so bad I want it cut off."

"I'm sorry, honey. If you don't mind me asking, why the hells were you on a double black diamond hill?"

"Well, I was the one that got up on my iceboard right away, and Jacen was mad that Anakin and me could do it better than he could, and Jacen dared me to do the double black diamond."

"Do you always have to do what your brother dares you to?"

"He's the wimpy one, not me."

"So if he hadn't dared you, would you have done it?"

"Probably." Jaina's eyes were closed and there were tears streaming down her face. "How're you s'posed to get better at something if you don't try something hard?"

"Well, yeah, but there are degrees of it."

"I'm not sorry I did it."

"I figured as much."

"Does Mom know?"

"Mom knows."

"You are like so dead."

"Thanks for reminding me."


	7. Chapter 7

SNOW DAY

Chapter 7

It was a long night for Han and Jaina. Until she was determined to be stable, she wasn't being given anything to dull the pain. Han was half tempted to find a local cantina and buy her a bottle of Corellian rum.

Jaina was not the sort to complain about physical pain, so seeing her with tears streaming down her face was difficult to watch. He could hold her hand, but even brushing her hair back was too painful for her.

It was causing him pain just watching her, and it had nothing to do with his injuries.

He'd really screwed up this time.

"Daddy," Jaina said, sobbing.

"What, sweetie?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"What story?"

"About how you and Mom got together."

Han was momentarily taken aback; this wasn't a story she asked for. Usually she wanted to hear the tales of his derring-do as a pilot.

"Well, I was in pretty rough shape financially. I'd had to dump a spice shipment and my then-boss, Jabba the Hutt, wasn't very happy with me. I needed to get the money to pay him back, and things were looking pretty grim."

"What's that got to do with Mom?"

"I'm getting there. I was sitting in a cantina - "

"The one on Tatooine?"

"One and the same. So I'm sitting there, feeling sorry for myself, drinking an Alderaanian ale, wondering how I'm gonna get the money together to pay Jabba. Chewie goes over to the bar to get us a refill, and he meets up with this guy, this Jedi Ben Kenobi, and he needs to get to the Alderaan system stat. He's got a kid and two droids with him, and no questions allowed. I named my price. He countered with a better one. So me and Chewie get the ship ready, and by the time they're at the docking bay, we've got Imperial stormtroopers shooting at us. I was starting to wonder just how much trouble I bought by taking this old guy's money.

"So we barely get out with our skins in one piece and we're flying to Alderaan. I had to outrun a few Imperial TIE fighters and I was kind of annoyed with the kid, your Uncle Luke, and the crazy old man. So we're coming up on Alderaan and instead of Alderaan, there's nothing but chunks of rock and space dust. In the meantime, we get sucked into this space station by a tractor beam and me and Chewie can't do anything to break out. So we get sucked into the death star. The old man says he'll break the tractor beam and we're supposed to sit there and wait. In the meantime, one of the droids, your uncle's R2D2 unit, keeps saying, 'I found her, she's here!' I didn't have a clue who they were talking about and I wasn't all that keen on marching into the detention center. But your uncle convinced me that I'd get a great reward if I did."

"Mom says you were a mers'nary. What's that?"

"Means someone who only does it for the money. Which I did for a long time. Hey, a guy's gotta eat. Anyway, we head to the cellblock where there's this princess who's gonna be executed, she's your mom. Unfortunately, we hadn't thought this out very well, and your mom told us to get into the trash chute. We almost got squished to death. When the droid finally found out how to stop the trash masher, that was the first time I ever hugged your mom. And I wanted to do it again. I think I decided right then and there I wanted to marry her."

"Even though she was bagging on you?"

"Maybe because. Your mom's a pretty good judge of character and she'd pegged me for a loser, and at that time, she was right."

"So why'd she fall in love with you?"

"My charm, good looks, personality - actually, I don't think that was it. Anyway, I took off to pay Jabba but Uncle Luke was trying to blow up the Death Star, and he needed cover; pilots were dying all over the place, and I don't know, I guess something in that experience changed me."

"You mean she didn't think you were a loser anymore."

"I'm not sure about that. We argued for the next three years. I thought she liked me. I sure liked her. I knew after I met her I was in love with her. But it took three years and a lot of yelling before we finally kissed each other. One of the best moments of my life. But a lot more bad stuff happened. I got frozen in carbonite - "

"You got what?"

"I was in carbonite freeze for six months. I figured I was gonna die there. But your mom, she came and rescued me, along with your Uncle Luke. And best of all, she killed Jabba."

"She did?"

"Your mom's pretty tough. And Jabba was huge and disgusting. Ever seen a Hutt?"

"I don't think so."

"Ugly creatures, inside and out. But the war wasn't over; another Death Star was being built, and it had to be destroyed. It was the battle that would determine if the Rebellion would win or lose."

"Well, you must've won."

"Yeah, we did. And on the night we won, I proposed to your mom, and she said yes, and I hope to the gods she'll forgive me for this."

"She will. But she might make you sleep on the sofa for a couple nights."

"What makes you think she's gonna do that?"

"That's what she always does when she's mad at you."

Han groaned.

"You feeling any better, sweetie?"

"Not really. I'm so tired, Daddy."

"Hang in there, sweetie. It'll be all right."

"I just want my head to stop hurting."

"I want your head to stop hurting, too."

"I can still be a pilot, can't I?"

"I don't see why not. You'll feel better soon."

She will, Han thought. As to whether or not I do, that depends on my wife's wrath.


	8. Chapter 8

SNOW DAY

Chapter 8

The night had been very long for both Han and Jaina. After twelve hours of observation, she'd been permitted to have some pain medication and the staff wanted to continue to monitor her for another six hours.

Jaina had finally dozed off, as had Han, when a sharp voice called out his name.

"Han!"

He snapped awake as if being awakened by a nightmare. Only it wasn't a nightmare, but something far worse: an angry Leia.

"Sorry, I've been up all night," he mumbled to Leia as he tried to stretch out his cramped limbs.

Jaina stirred and opened her eyes. "Mom? What're you doing here?"

"Trying to figure out why all of you thought it was a great idea to engage in an activity that none of you are proficient in and can't be properly supervised!" Leia informed her. Han knew he was going to be labeled guilty as charged, but he hadn't expected that she'd be angry at Jaina as well.

Han wasn't even going to attempt to defend himself. There were times when Leia's wrath needed to be treated like a hotel fire: stay close to the ground, breathe normally and don't take the lifts. This was one of those times.

"I did it because I wanted the kids to have some fun," Han said simply. "And it was nice to get away from home for a while."

"I understand that," Leia said, her tone clipped. "But you could have done something that might not have involved a degree of risk that you're not up for right now. You've never been iceboarding, Han. How would you have looked after them?"

"I sent Chewie out with 'em."

"And Chewie was watching Jarik while you were out playing cards!"

"Hey, I won!"

"Right now, I don't care!"

"The boys were fine. Yeah, Anakin gashed his arm, but he was sticking to a slope he was mostly capable of handling, and it was less bad than the time you took some fire while we were trying to get the energy shield deactivated on Endor."

Leia turned to her daughter. "And you, young lady. What were you trying to prove? That you have astonishingly little good sense?"

"Jacen dared me."

"Would you have done it if he hadn't?"

"Yeah." Jaina would usually match her mother's tone and level of anger, but she was still in pain and some of the fight had momentarily been kicked out of her. Han was pretty sure that she'd be back on track in no time. "How'm I supposed to get better if I don't try hard things?"

"There's stretching your abilities, and then there's blatant disregard for them," Leia informed her daughter. Her tone was sharp but she'd knocked down the volume. "You seem to delight in giving your dad and me heart attacks."

"I'm not sorry I tried it," Jaina said stubbornly.

"You need to perfect your basic skills before you start going wild. And I guarantee that after a few hours of iceboarding, you hadn't."

"How would you know?" Jaina snapped at her mother.

"Because I used to iceboard when I got the chance growing up."

"You did?" Jaina was surprised by this; she had no idea. Leia had never discussed it.

"Yes, when I got the chance. Unfortunately, I went so seldom that I never got past the blue square. I had to learn it over and over again."

"So how 'bout you take us when I get better?" Jaina suggested.

"Only if you promise me you won't do something equally rash," her mother countered.

Yeah, she'll probably want to do something even more rash, Han grumbled to himself, but said nothing.

"Okay, okay," Jaina said irritably. "How much longer do I gotta be stuck here, Daddy?"

"Another six hours, probably."

"I hate it here!" Jaina snapped.

"You're supposed to hate it here," Leia pointed out to her. "Remember this next time you want to do something insane."

"Dad told me about the time he flew into an ast'roid field 'cause the Imps were chasing you."

"That's different. If we didn't, we'd have certainly been killed. Going into the asteroid field made it so that it was only nearly certain that we'd die. And by then, your dad had been flying for years. You'd been iceboarding for what, a few hours?"

"Hey, I got off my butt, unlike my brothers, real fast."

Leia rolled her eyes. There was no getting through to their daughter.

"Why don't you head on home and have Chewie fetch Jaina and me?" Han suggested. "That'll give you a chance to snap at him, too."

"You have no idea how close I've come at times to blasting your hide off," Leia whispered fiercely to him.

Actually, I think I do, he said to himself.

"I'm not going anywhere till Jaina's released," Leia told Han in a tone that brooked no dispute.

"Then it's gonna be real crowded in the speeder on the way back."


	9. Chapter 9

SNOW DAY

Chapter 9

SIX WEEKS LATER...

"I can't believe you actually agreed to go to Hoth," Han groaned as he and Leia packed. The kids had their annual two week break between winter and summer and they'd expressed interest in visiting Hoth, because iceboarding lessons were offered year round in the snowy wasteland. "Wasn't it bad enough the first time?"

"You mean, other than being frozen and being attacked? It was a virtual paradise," Leia snarked.

"Next time, we don't offer to let the kids choose where we're going."

"They've been bugging us since before Jaina stopped being laid up." Leia and Han had been very happy that that event was now behind her. They'd gotten her sworn promise NOT to do hills beyond her capability, and from Jacen not to dare her. "And just because you're better doesn't mean you get to go on the slopes, Flyboy."

"Yes, Your Highnessness," Han acknowledged.

"You need to get some new material," Leia bickered at him. "That name is so fifteen years ago."

"Okay, how about Your Ministeressness?"

Leia tossed one of Han's mittens at him. "Get packed already," she said, laughing. "At least there's a casino at our resort."

"Why do you think I agreed to all of this?" Han gave her his warm, boyish smile that she could never resist. "And then, there's the whole after the slopes activities." He winked at her.

"We'll just make sure to lock the door," Leia said, mischief dancing in her eyes. "You are aware, of course, that that will be the only physical activity you're allowed to have on this trip."

"I think I can live with that."

"What sold me on it was the toddler daycare," Leia said. "He can have fun and not be whining that his big sister and brothers won't play with him. And I don't have to worry about you putting him up as collateral in the casino."

"I should start teaching him sabacc soon." Han was having fun just joking around with Leia.

"Wait a couple of years."

"Maybe we'll have some better memories of Hoth this time."

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I'd better check on the kids. From the sound of it, there's a lot of carrying on and not a lot of packing."

Han grinned as he finished stuffing his carrying case. He had a large, noisy, chaotic, stubborn family he loved. Back when they were on Hoth the first time, he could only dream of it and even then, he'd have been hard pressed to believe it could happen to him.

And it made him smile.

FINIS :)


End file.
